TIMELINER

History's most surprising connections

Who Was Alive in 1941

122 of 328 historical figures were alive in 1941

Nikola Tesla
Nikola TeslaAge 85
1856–1943 · Science & Invention
AC electricity, visionary inventor
Max Planck
Max PlanckAge 83
1858–1947 · Science & Invention
Father of quantum theory
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath TagoreAge 80
1861–1941 · Literature
First non-European Nobel laureate in Literature
Henry Ford
Henry FordAge 78
1863–1947 · Business & Industry
Assembly line, Model T automobile
Edvard Munch
Edvard MunchAge 78
1863–1944 · Art
The Scream
H.G. Wells
H.G. WellsAge 75
1866–1946 · Literature
The War of the Worlds, science fiction pioneer
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma GandhiAge 72
1869–1948 · Politics & Leadership
Nonviolent independence leader of India
Orville Wright
Orville WrightAge 70
1871–1948 · Science & Invention
Co-inventor of the airplane
Winston Churchill
Winston ChurchillAge 67
1874–1965 · Politics & Leadership
British PM who led WWII effort
Carl Jung
Carl JungAge 66
1875–1961 · Philosophy & Thought
Analytical psychology, archetypes
Lise Meitner
Lise MeitnerAge 63
1878–1968 · Science & Invention
Discovered nuclear fission, overlooked for Nobel
Albert Einstein
Albert EinsteinAge 62
1879–1955 · Science & Invention
Theory of relativity, E=mc²
Pablo Picasso
Pablo PicassoAge 60
1881–1973 · Art
Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist
Alexander Fleming
Alexander FlemingAge 60
1881–1955 · Science & Invention
Discovered penicillin
Virginia Woolf
Virginia WoolfAge 59
1882–1941 · Literature
Mrs Dalloway, modernist pioneer
James Joyce
James JoyceAge 59
1882–1941 · Literature
Ulysses, literary revolutionary
Igor Stravinsky
Igor StravinskyAge 59
1882–1971 · Music
The Rite of Spring, modern classical
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. RooseveltAge 59
1882–1945 · Politics & Leadership
32nd US President, New Deal, WWII leader
Coco Chanel
Coco ChanelAge 58
1883–1971 · Business & Industry
Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5
Niels Bohr
Niels BohrAge 56
1885–1962 · Science & Invention
Atomic model, quantum mechanics pioneer
Diego Rivera
Diego RiveraAge 55
1886–1957 · Art
Mexican muralist, political artist
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin SchrödingerAge 54
1887–1961 · Science & Invention
Schrödinger's cat, wave equation
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'KeeffeAge 54
1887–1986 · Art
Mother of American modernism
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie ChaplinAge 52
1889–1977 · Film & Entertainment
The Tramp, silent film legend
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi MinhAge 51
1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership
Revolutionary leader of Vietnam
Agatha Christie
Agatha ChristieAge 51
1890–1976 · Literature
Best-selling mystery novelist ever
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. EisenhowerAge 51
1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership
WWII Supreme Commander, 34th US President
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de GaulleAge 51
1890–1970 · Politics & Leadership
Leader of Free France, French President
Haile Selassie
Haile SelassieAge 49
1892–1975 · Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Ethiopia, Rastafari symbol
J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. TolkienAge 49
1892–1973 · Literature
The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth
Mao Zedong
Mao ZedongAge 48
1893–1976 · Politics & Leadership
Founder of the People's Republic of China
Babe Ruth
Babe RuthAge 46
1895–1948 · Sports
Baseball's Sultan of Swat
Buster Keaton
Buster KeatonAge 46
1895–1966 · Film & Entertainment
Silent film comedian, The General
Golda Meir
Golda MeirAge 43
1898–1978 · Politics & Leadership
Fourth Prime Minister of Israel
Duke Ellington
Duke EllingtonAge 42
1899–1974 · Music
Jazz legend, big band pioneer
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest HemingwayAge 42
1899–1961 · Literature
The Old Man and the Sea, Nobel laureate
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis BorgesAge 42
1899–1986 · Literature
Labyrinths, master of magical realism
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred HitchcockAge 42
1899–1980 · Film & Entertainment
Master of Suspense — Psycho, Vertigo
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey BogartAge 42
1899–1957 · Film & Entertainment
Casablanca, Hollywood icon
Werner Heisenberg
Werner HeisenbergAge 40
1901–1976 · Science & Invention
Uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics pioneer
Louis Armstrong
Louis ArmstrongAge 40
1901–1971 · Music
What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
Walt Disney
Walt DisneyAge 40
1901–1966 · Film & Entertainment
Created Mickey Mouse, Disney empire
Enrico Fermi
Enrico FermiAge 40
1901–1954 · Science & Invention
Father of the nuclear age, first nuclear reactor
Hirohito
HirohitoAge 40
1901–1989 · Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Japan during WWII
George Orwell
George OrwellAge 38
1903–1950 · Literature
1984, Animal Farm
Bob Hope
Bob HopeAge 38
1903–2003 · Film & Entertainment
Comedian, entertainer for 80+ years
Robert Oppenheimer
Robert OppenheimerAge 37
1904–1967 · Science & Invention
Father of the atomic bomb
Salvador Dalí
Salvador DalíAge 37
1904–1989 · Art
The Persistence of Memory, surrealist
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul SartreAge 36
1905–1980 · Philosophy & Thought
Existentialism, declined the Nobel Prize
Hannah Arendt
Hannah ArendtAge 35
1906–1975 · Philosophy & Thought
The Banality of Evil, political theorist
Frida Kahlo
Frida KahloAge 34
1907–1954 · Art
Self-portraits, Mexican cultural icon
Rachel Carson
Rachel CarsonAge 34
1907–1964 · Activism & Social Change
Silent Spring, environmental movement
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de BeauvoirAge 33
1908–1986 · Philosophy & Thought
The Second Sex, feminist existentialist
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame NkrumahAge 32
1909–1972 · Politics & Leadership
First President of Ghana
Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorothy HodgkinAge 31
1910–1994 · Science & Invention
Nobel Prize for X-ray crystallography of biochemical substances
Mother Teresa
Mother TeresaAge 31
1910–1997 · Activism & Social Change
Missionary of Charity in Calcutta
Akira Kurosawa
Akira KurosawaAge 31
1910–1998 · Film & Entertainment
Seven Samurai, master filmmaker
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques CousteauAge 31
1910–1997 · Exploration
Ocean explorer, pioneered scuba diving
Alan Turing
Alan TuringAge 29
1912–1954 · Science & Invention
Father of computer science, codebreaker
Jackson Pollock
Jackson PollockAge 29
1912–1956 · Art
Action painting, abstract expressionism
Rosa Parks
Rosa ParksAge 28
1913–2005 · Activism & Social Change
Mother of the civil rights movement
Jesse Owens
Jesse OwensAge 28
1913–1980 · Sports
4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy LamarrAge 27
1914–2000 · Science & Invention
Hollywood star who co-invented frequency hopping
Orson Welles
Orson WellesAge 26
1915–1985 · Film & Entertainment
Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds broadcast
Frank Sinatra
Frank SinatraAge 26
1915–1998 · Music
My Way, Ol' Blue Eyes
Billie Holiday
Billie HolidayAge 26
1915–1959 · Music
Strange Fruit, jazz vocal legend
Roald Dahl
Roald DahlAge 25
1916–1990 · Literature
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
John F. Kennedy
John F. KennedyAge 24
1917–1963 · Politics & Leadership
35th US President, Space Race
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella FitzgeraldAge 24
1917–1996 · Music
First Lady of Song, jazz icon
Indira Gandhi
Indira GandhiAge 24
1917–1984 · Politics & Leadership
First female Prime Minister of India
Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar BergmanAge 23
1918–2007 · Film & Entertainment
The Seventh Seal, master of art cinema
Nelson Mandela
Nelson MandelaAge 23
1918–2013 · Politics & Leadership
Anti-apartheid hero, South African President
Richard Feynman
Richard FeynmanAge 23
1918–1988 · Science & Invention
Quantum electrodynamics, bongo-playing physicist
Eva Perón
Eva PerónAge 22
1919–1952 · Politics & Leadership
Argentina's beloved Evita
Edmund Hillary
Edmund HillaryAge 22
1919–2008 · Exploration
First to summit Mount Everest
Jackie Robinson
Jackie RobinsonAge 22
1919–1972 · Sports
Broke baseball's color barrier
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind FranklinAge 21
1920–1958 · Science & Invention
Key to discovering DNA's structure
Stan Lee
Stan LeeAge 19
1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment
Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel
Marlon Brando
Marlon BrandoAge 17
1924–2004 · Film & Entertainment
The Godfather, method acting pioneer
James Baldwin
James BaldwinAge 17
1924–1987 · Literature
Go Tell It on the Mountain, civil rights essayist
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice LumumbaAge 16
1925–1961 · Politics & Leadership
First Prime Minister of independent Congo
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret ThatcherAge 16
1925–2013 · Politics & Leadership
The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister
B.B. King
B.B. KingAge 16
1925–2015 · Music
King of the Blues
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn MonroeAge 15
1926–1962 · Film & Entertainment
Hollywood icon, cultural legend
Fidel Castro
Fidel CastroAge 15
1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership
Cuban revolutionary leader
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García MárquezAge 14
1927–2014 · Literature
One Hundred Years of Solitude
James Watson
James WatsonAge 13
1928–present · Science & Invention
Co-discovered the structure of DNA
Andy Warhol
Andy WarholAge 13
1928–1987 · Art
Pop art icon, Campbell's Soup Cans
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley KubrickAge 13
1928–1999 · Film & Entertainment
2001: A Space Odyssey, perfectionist auteur
Maya Angelou
Maya AngelouAge 13
1928–2014 · Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Che Guevara
Che GuevaraAge 13
1928–1967 · Politics & Leadership
Argentine revolutionary icon
Vera Rubin
Vera RubinAge 13
1928–2016 · Science & Invention
Discovered evidence for dark matter
Noam Chomsky
Noam ChomskyAge 13
1928–present · Philosophy & Thought
Father of modern linguistics, political activist
Anne Frank
Anne FrankAge 12
1929–1945 · Activism & Social Change
Diary of a Young Girl, Holocaust victim
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.Age 12
1929–1968 · Activism & Social Change
"I Have a Dream," civil rights leader
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey HepburnAge 12
1929–1993 · Film & Entertainment
Breakfast at Tiffany's, humanitarian
Grace Kelly
Grace KellyAge 12
1929–1982 · Film & Entertainment
Hollywood star turned Princess of Monaco
Chinua Achebe
Chinua AchebeAge 11
1930–2013 · Literature
Things Fall Apart, father of modern African literature
Neil Armstrong
Neil ArmstrongAge 11
1930–2012 · Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
Ray Charles
Ray CharlesAge 11
1930–2004 · Music
The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
Tu Youyou
Tu YouyouAge 11
1930–present · Science & Invention
Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine
James Dean
James DeanAge 10
1931–1955 · Film & Entertainment
Rebel Without a Cause, died at 24
Desmond Tutu
Desmond TutuAge 10
1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change
Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize
Toni Morrison
Toni MorrisonAge 10
1931–2019 · Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
Johnny Cash
Johnny CashAge 9
1932–2003 · Music
The Man in Black, country music legend
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth TaylorAge 9
1932–2011 · Film & Entertainment
Cleopatra, golden age Hollywood star
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia PlathAge 9
1932–1963 · Literature
The Bell Jar, confessional poetry
Yoko Ono
Yoko OnoAge 8
1933–present · Art
Avant-garde artist, peace activist
Wole Soyinka
Wole SoyinkaAge 7
1934–present · Literature
First African Nobel laureate in Literature
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri GagarinAge 7
1934–1968 · Exploration
First human in space
Carl Sagan
Carl SaganAge 7
1934–1996 · Science & Invention
Cosmos, pale blue dot, science communicator
Jane Goodall
Jane GoodallAge 7
1934–present · Science & Invention
World's foremost expert on chimpanzees
Dalai Lama
Dalai LamaAge 6
1935–present · Philosophy & Thought
Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize
Elvis Presley
Elvis PresleyAge 6
1935–1977 · Music
The King of Rock and Roll
Woody Allen
Woody AllenAge 6
1935–present · Film & Entertainment
Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker
Pope Francis
Pope FrancisAge 5
1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought
First pope from the Americas
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford CoppolaAge 2
1939–present · Film & Entertainment
The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now
Pelé
PeléAge 1
1940–2022 · Sports
The King of Football, 3 World Cups
Bruce Lee
Bruce LeeAge 1
1940–1973 · Film & Entertainment
Martial arts legend, Enter the Dragon
John Lennon
John LennonAge 1
1940–1980 · Music
The Beatles, Imagine
Wangari Maathai
Wangari MaathaiAge 1
1940–2011 · Activism & Social Change
Kenyan environmentalist, first African woman Nobel laureate
Bob Dylan
Bob DylanAge 0
1941–present · Music
Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Notable World Events in 1941

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